speed
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vquestpvc
- PV Whiz
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Re: speed
FF8, I certainly agree you're not a novice. 13-13-6 at the high school is exceptional and not just average. Just check state championship meet results to see where you rank. Sorry for all the banter. I stick with my first suggestion regarding the Aaron Moser DVD regarding the development of sprint running. I use one the drills frequently with my vaulters. Using this particular drill just 3 times this season my vaulters have increased their approach length over 2'. Stride length and turnover equals speed. At the end of the day, a vaulter is really a sprinter.
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rainbowgirl28
- I'm in Charge
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- Expertise: Former College Vaulter, I coach and officiate as life allows
- Lifetime Best: 11'6"
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- Favorite Vaulter: Casey Carrigan
- Location: A Temperate Island
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Re: speed
vquestpvc wrote:FF8, I certainly agree you're not a novice. 13-13-6 at the high school is exceptional and not just average. Just check state championship meet results to see where you rank. Sorry for all the banter. I stick with my first suggestion regarding the Aaron Moser DVD regarding the development of sprint running. I use one the drills frequently with my vaulters. Using this particular drill just 3 times this season my vaulters have increased their approach length over 2'. Stride length and turnover equals speed. At the end of the day, a vaulter is really a sprinter.
You have a very loose definition of the word "exceptional"
13'6 is a very solid HS vaulter, I'm not knocking the OP, but exceptional it's not.
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altius
- PV Rock Star
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Re: speed
"""At the end of the day, a vaulter is really a sprinter.""
I was going to move on - but I cannot let that pass because it is one of the most stupid and dangerous statements ever made on this forum - especially to an athlete - and I am presuming he is male -who has only cleared 13'6" as a junior in high school. I will bet any money that film of his vaults this year will show up numerous problems that need to be fixed before he worries about increasing his speed on the runway.
Because this issue is one I have pursued ever since Reno in 1997 Becca has given me permission to print the relevant chapter from BTB2. Sorry I couldnt include illustrations.
Chapter Twenty Four: The run up for ambitious young vaulters
“If the vaulter can put all his speed to the pole, the bending of the pole will happen in a very natural way and this, together with a good height of grip will ensure good results. Sergey Bubka.
The primary objective of any ambitious athlete who has begun to master the advanced technical model should be to try to exploit higher grips and to use the strongest possible poles. To do this safely and efficiently they must be able to first generate and then direct the energy required to drive the long lever towards the vertical. This requires a fast accurate run up, a precise planting action and a powerful upspringing take off. Unfortunately while many athletes pay lip service to the importance of the run up, they do not always commit the time and effort needed to perfect it. This not only inhibits their development but it may lead them into danger as their increasing physical parameters are not matched by improvements in their consistency and control of the runway.
Petrov’s ideas on the run up and plant are as rational as his approach to every other element of technique, and reflect the completely integrated nature of his technical model. His comment that the pole vault begins with the first step was not a simple throwaway line; it affirmed his view that the run up is the beginning of a continuous chain of energy input into the vaulter/pole system and that every aspect of the run up and the plant must be structured to ensure a powerful upspringing take off from precisely the right spot as shown in Figure 24.1.
This image of Bubka is arguably the most significant photograph ever taken of this challenging event. Not only does it capture a key instant in the first ever six metre clearance, it clearly shows that he has hit the pole with a solid body and that the hands are being driven up through the pole. The pole is clearly straight and therefore not loaded, a key element of the Petrov model. It is unfortunate that while these important elements are still neglected, or even rejected by many coaches, the myth that Bubka’s success was almost entirely due to his great speed on the runway continues to flourish.
What makes this myth so damaging is that it does contain a grain of truth! Bubka was a very good runner, both with and without the pole, but he will be the first to say that his success was due to the overall efficiency of his technical model and not simply because of his speed on the runway. While Tables 1 and 2, confirm that there is a moderate statistical correlation between run up speed and the height cleared across a wide performance band, our assessment is that NB the data suggests that run up speed is a necessary, but not a sufficient determinant of the height jumped. However we feel that a study restricted to elite performers would indicate a higher correlation because at that level, athletes would be both technically and physically better prepared to convert speed into height.
NB. So we believe that there will only be a high correlation between speed on the runway and the height jumped IF vaulters have already developed the technical ability to exploit their speed and when their bodies have been conditioned to cope with the shock of an explosive take off. The fact is that the faster you run while carrying a long lever, the more difficult it is to maintain control and balance, so danger lurks around the corner. Athletes are intuitively aware of this and unless they have a death wish they will often pull out of the take off at the last instant. Those with a death wish will continue on, and their out of control and off balanced take off, will feed a host of problems as the jump progresses.
The critical question is, ‘How much speed does any given athlete need to fulfill their potential’? As Bubka said in Jamaica, The important thing is how much of your speed and your strength you can use while actually jumping. Somebody can run the 100 metres in 11 seconds, but if he does the proper movements, in the exact moment, he can jump very high.
With this thought in mind, the data provided by Table 3 (Petrov), next page is of particular interest because it counters the popular notion that it requires blazing speed to be an elite vaulter. These data suggest that it would be possible for a male vaulter with 11.4 one hundred metre speed to make an Olympic men’s vault final, while someone who could manage 10.9 could break the American record! Of course the critical point here is that every aspect of their technique would have to be good enough to squeeze the maximum performance from their speed. As we will see in the following chapter, this means that they must certainly be able to continue to accelerate through the last five metres before take off.
So it is our view that unless the vaulter has already mastered the key elements of technique, especially the plant and take off, they will gain little benefit from increasing speed on the runway. Indeed there is little point in running any distance at all if the athlete is out of control, off balance and unable to take off in precisely the right spot and with a body which is solid from top hand to the toe of the take off foot! So what should ambitious young athletes focus on as they try to improve their approach run?
NB We believe that although vaulters should always work towards improving their speed at take off, their first priority should be to achieve consistency in the run up and precision in the plant. Both will bring enormous benefits, some obvious, but others which have rarely if ever been articulated.
A consistent, accurate approach run and a precise planting action allow the vaulter to;
• Attack the take off with confidence – a critical factor in this challenging and potentially dangerous event.
• Choose their pole stiffness, grip height and bar placement safe in the knowledge that they have controlled the most important variable - their take off point.
• Prepare for competition efficiently. They will need no more than two full approach jumps in warm up confirm that they are ready. This allows a vaulter to go into the competition with confidence and without the inevitable drain of physical and nervous energy resulting from repeated and often ineffectual efforts to take off.
• Select their opening height with certainty.
• Avoid wasting jumps throughout the competition as they struggle to find out where they should place the bar or what pole they should use.
• Pass certain heights, and so limit the total number of jumps they take.
• Cope with variable weather conditions - such as rain, head or cross winds with greater confidence.
• Possibly achieve a higher placing when a count back is involved.
• Finally, they will minimise the stress on their coach!
o Here it is important to understand that every maximal attempt in the pole vault places considerable demands on the athlete’s neuromuscular system. This can severely limit the number of high quality full jumps an athlete can take either in training or in competition. This means that ambitious athletes aiming for significant performances should carefully control the number of jumps they take as they move towards the crucial heights. Bubka was a master of this; at his peak his usual pattern was to make clearances at 5.70 and 5.90 then an attempt at a new world record – on occasions this meant that he took only three jumps in a competition!
o The best way to learn to jump high is to jump at high bars, so a consistent and accurate run up also allows the athlete to train more efficiently. If the number of full jumps an athlete can take in any one session is already limited by neuromuscular demands, then every failed attempt to take off is not only a waste of valuable energy, it is a wasted opportunity to improve.
o The integrated nature of the vault means that the second, third and fourth phases of energy input all depend on the first – the run and take off. This means that you cannot work to improve the timing of the swing into inversion efficiently unless you can take off consistently and effectively.
On the other hand any athlete who is unsure about the accuracy of their run up will tend to focus on the box; this will mean that they will often take off with their eyes and their head pointing down – not forward and up as they should - to the detriment of their take off. As Bubka said, Many jumpers look at the box, the box doesn’t move, it is always there. I think it has to do with being scared.
Our view is that they may look at the box, not because they are scared, but because they are not certain that they are in the right position to take off.
So an athlete with confidence in their run up will give themselves many more opportunities to improve other key elements of the vault. Some of these elements are quite subtle. For example we believe that at some point in the swing to inversion the athlete must operate intuitively – where “Intuition is the distilled essence of past experience”. Clearly athletes must make hundreds of jumps to build this intuitive ability – so they cannot afford to waste jumps in training simply because they have not developed a consistent approach run.
So how to develop an effective run up?
1. Learn to carry the pole efficiently.
2. Improve running technique with the pole.
3. Develop the structure and accuracy of the run up.
4. Treat the run up as a technical component of the vault.
5. Practice the run up and plant year round.
While some elements of the vault are difficult to master, it is possible for every athlete to develop a consistent, accurate run up and a precise planting action. In essence, every vaulter should be able to completely control every aspect of technique until the instant they leave the ground. All it requires is committed, intelligent practice!
1. Carrying the pole efficiently
Here you must remember the integrated nature of the Petrov model. While it is true that the relatively narrow grip used by Bubka was a key factor in ensuring his high plant and efficient swing into inversion, it brings its own problems. This is because it exacerbates the difficulty of dealing with the torque forces created by a long lever and the narrow grip makes it more difficult for the athlete to control the pole.
Potential solutions to this problem include
• Use a wide grip. However this can lead to an inefficient plant because a wide grip leads to a less than optimum pole/ground angle.
• Carry the pole with the bottom hand touching the body and with the top hand well behind the hip, Figure 24.2. While this relieves the torque problem to some extent, especially if the athlete is not gripping high, it can cause real problems during the plant. This is because the top hand has a long travel to get into the ideal position high above the head at the instant of take off. This method can often lead to a late and low plant.
• Run the pole tip along the ground. This solution was suggested as long ago as 1978 by a Hungarian coach working in Canada who anticipated that increasing grip heights would lead to the torque problem outlined above. He even designed special easy sliding pole tips made of Teflon to facilitate his method. To date few elite vaulters have chosen to use it, perhaps because, while this method eliminates torque forces it cannot exploit those forces.
Petrov’s solution is typically innovative. In the first place he believes that the width of an athlete’s grip on the pole, while essentially individual, must allow the athlete to maximise the pole/ground angle at take and, critically, allow them to complete a free take off as shown in Figure 24.1 above. We have found that the best way for any athlete to find the grip width that meets these criteria, is to follow the simple procedure described below.
The right handed athlete stands with their feet together, shoulders square and with the thumb of the right hand just touching the right shoulder. The tip of the pole is placed in a direct line with the left foot and the left hand is placed naturally and comfortably on the pole. This procedure caters for all but the most simian of pole vaulters. For a male vaulter 1.81cm/6’ tall this gives a grip width of around 65 cms., a figure that ties in with the evidence that elite male vaulters use a width of from 60 to70 cms. from the thumb of the left hand to the thumb of the right. That said, we tend towards the narrow end of the spectrum with developing athletes simply because we believe that a wider grip allows them to make fundamental errors in the take off.
As the illustrations throughout this book show, the actual manner in which the athlete grips the pole is also individual in nature, although as always, we prefer the approach used by Bubka himself. Some elite athletes relax either or both hands as they run in to take off, while others grip the pole tightly with either of both. The critical point is that as the athlete moves the pole into position for take off, they have a firm grip on the pole with both hands.
Once they have established an effective grip, the athlete must learn to carry the pole in a relaxed and efficient manner. To do this they should support the pole with the skeletal system, not the muscular system.
Figure 24.3 shows Maxim Tarasov supporting the pole in this way. He is using a high carry angle to minimise torque forces and so can accelerate to high speed while running tall with the pole under control and relaxed, with minimal movement in the system. Coaches should encourage athletes to think of using their arms as shock absorbers as they support the pole. Note that although some athletes set up at the beginning of their run up with the pole almost vertical, they lower the pole to approximately 70 degrees before they take their first step. As Petrov stated, At the start of the run up the pole and the vaulter merge into a single whole. A slight lowering of the pole forward at the start of the run up gives us a standard thrust and, correspondingly, produces standard steps.
Ambitious athletes must therefore ensure that they begin every vault perfectly positioned, with the pole supported by the skeletal system as demonstrated by 15 year old Jana Tancosic, Figure 24.4. The careful positioning of the left hand under the pole, and in line with the centre of the chest, is then maintained throughout the run up as Bubka demonstrates, Figure 24.5. This ensures that the pole is supported in a relaxed manner and that the left hand is perfectly placed under the pole throughout the run up. This positioning of the lower hand under the pole also means that the plant can be executed efficiently with a simple upwards punch of the lower arm. This is discussed in detail in the following chapter.
If the pole is supported with the right hand against the right hip and the left hand is positioned about 20cms from the centre of the chest it is clear that the tip of the pole will be a little to the left of the athlete. This position should not be exaggerated – it will happen naturally and puts the pole in a comfortable position. However it is important to avoid the very common mistake of carrying the pole outside the line of the body on the right side. This moves the pole away from the centre of mass of the body and destroys the single pole/body unit the vaulter should aim for. It also makes the planting action more complicated.
Of course, a strong athlete using a low grip on a light pole does not need to use a high carry angle or follow any of this advice. They can get away with both poor running technique and an inefficient pole carry. However if they have the ability and the ambition to compete at world level they must be prepared to grip high and use poles up to 20kgs/44lbs above their body weight. In this case a poor pole carry will certainly have a negative impact on their running posture and take off. Here it is worth restating the fact that many young Adelaide athletes used poles more than forty pounds over their body weight.
2. Improve your running technique with the pole
Another myth in pole vaulting is that it doesn’t matter how you run as long as you run fast! In fact a vaulter’s sprinting technique, both with and without a pole, is very important to success.
While running is a natural activity, sprinting is not! Good sprinting requires a series of accurate, balanced movements in which maximum power is applied against the ground in a very rapid sequence. It requires incredible coordination to produce the explosive but controlled movement sequences of arms and legs while at the same time stabilising the core muscles of the trunk and maintaining high levels of relaxation in the non working muscles. We believe that sprinting is as technical in nature as any aspect of track and field.
As complex as sprinting is, running fast while carrying a long pole introduces an extra dimension. Even when the pole is carried efficiently, the centre of mass of the vaulter/pole system moves forward compared to a sprinter. If vaulters are to maintain balance and control and stay tall as they accelerate to maximum speed, they need to execute the strike of the foot slightly further ahead of the centre of mass than the sprinter does. This leads the vaulter to adopt a slightly more upright posture and the more exaggerated knee/thigh drive which characterise the middle phase of Bubka’s run up. They are demonstrated in Figures 24.6a-k by a young South Australian athlete.
Readers who believe the notion of a vaulter running ‘in front of themselves’ is difficult to accept, will find John Gormley’s analysis of two strides in Bubka’s run up of interest, Figure 24.7.
Vaulters must therefore work hard to improve every aspect of their running technique, both with and without the pole, through the conscientious use of drills. In every drill – including those which exaggerate some aspect of running technique – the athlete must maintain a vertical position of the trunk and ‘run tall’. One of the simplest of and most valuable exercises is a classic Botcharnikov auto correcting drill where the athlete sets up as if to start their run up with the hands correctly positioned and the pole at the correct angle. They now set off to stride 120 metres under perfect control. Almost inevitably any problems with the pole carry, for example an athlete trying to control the pole using the muscles of the arms rather than the skeletal system, will appear before the end of the exercise. This experience, more than any other instruction or coaches’ feedback, will convince the athlete that they need to modify their pole carry.
Other drills include:
• Running with exaggerated high knees.
• Running with an emphasis on kicking the ‘butt’ with the heel.
• ‘Butt kick’ to high knee.
• Running with straight legs and with the toes up to ensure a claw strike as the flat foot hits the ground.
• High knees/ extension/ claw strike – The ‘Ostrich drill’.
• Putting it all together with ‘Butt kick/high knee/ extension/claw strike.
These drills should be executed over 30 - 50 metres with the body tall and balanced and with the pole under control. Initially the pole should be kept high but gradually the vaulter should practice controlled lowering of the pole. The speed and acceleration patterns can be varied but eventually vaulters should begin to move towards the total run as suggested below. Anyone looking for a range of sprint workouts would do well to get a copy of “Complete Book of Jumps” by Ed Jacoby and Bob Fraley.
Another Botcharnikov drill is one of the most valuable of all ‘running’ drills because it emphasises the complete extension of the driving leg, so important at take off. The athlete begins slowly with a gentle bounding action in which the free knee is punched up as the driving leg and ankle are extended completely behind the athlete. Once this completely extended position of the driving leg is achieved, the athlete gradually speeds up to turn the exercise into a series of powerful driving take offs.
Our favourite drill is the twenty/twenty drill in which the athlete tries to run twenty steps in twenty metres/sixty six feet at maximum speed. Many athletes find this drill surprisingly difficult and some do not master it in several sessions. This only confirms the fact that many athletes have never learned to control their stride length and that they usually overstride with a pole in their hands. Once the 20/20 has been mastered -and only then - it can be extended to 20 steps in 25 metres and 20 in 30.
Worthwhile improvement requires a balance between a technical emphasis and a speed emphasis; each drill must be taken seriously with the athlete focusing on correct execution from the beginning. There are three ways to assist the transfer of skill from drill to fast running.
• Always point out the relationship between the drills and sprinting with a pole. For example Figures 24.8a-c clearly show the relationship between the high knees, heel kicks and extension drills and the technique of the actual run up.
• Begin a drill slowly with complete concentration on the specific technical aspect to be developed. Gradually accelerate, continue thinking about the specific technical element to be practiced. As the rhythm is established the athlete must consciously relax particular parts of the body in turn.
• Or accelerate towards full speed running naturally and then focus on specific elements of good running technique.
Note that in Adelaide we were always limited by time, so we tended to focus on running with a pole and had to severely limit the range of drills our athletes did. This approach enabled them to work on good pole control while simultaneously improving their running technique. The illustrations of some of our young athletes in this chapter, including those of inexperienced 15 year olds like Jana Tankosic and Jamie Scroop shown in Figures 24.9a-i, next page, and 24.10a-h, next page, should confirm that this is not a difficult task.
We continually find ourselves returning to Petrov’s apparently facile statement, the pole vault begins with the first step. The second frame of Figure 24.9, shows the first step executed in a manner that could be a model for athletes of every level of performance.
Our experience is that many athletes are careless with that first step because after all, it is only the first step! This was brought home to us in no uncertain fashion when the great man came to Adelaide and immediately pointed out that one of our most talented young athletes spent the first part of her run up recovering from the problems caused by a low hip position and weak knee lift on the first step. To ensure that the athlete begins with an erect body, ensure that the right knee is brought up as if to touch the lower hand on the pole, on the first step of the run up.
3. Develop the structure and accuracy of the run up
The notion that the run up should have a specific structure has received little attention. However the logic is simple. If a vaulter runs freely, their stride length will continually increase – as a sprinter does out to 60 metres or more from the blocks. If every stride gets longer as the vaulter accelerates down the runway it is difficult for them to make the fine adjustments needed for an accurate and balanced take off. Even worse, if they are hit by a headwind a few strides out, they will be forced to take even longer strides to reach their take off spot. This may lead to loss of control and balance, cause the hips to drop and/or the athlete to run under or even to abort the take off.
The vault run up should therefore have three phases. As Figures 24.11a-k, show, they meld so subtly that, apart from the changing angle of the pole, only the informed observer will notice the difference. In the first phase the athlete must accelerate smoothly, under control with an upright body. In the second phase the hips are up and forward, the knee/thigh is punched up with the lower leg extended forward so that the foot can strike down and back fractionally ahead of the centre of mass as we suggested earlier.
In the third phase of the run up, when the pole begins to be lowered in preparation for the plant and take off, the problem changes. Now, whereas many vaulters bring the pole to the horizontal and run with it like this for several strides, our target technique is based around a moment free lowering of the pole over the last six steps where the pole only passes through the horizontal as it rotates about the fulcrum of the front - lower - hand.
It is during this phase that it is important for the vaulter to stay tall. The centre of mass must not be allowed to sink as the pressure from the pole increases. The power of the lower leg extensors becomes important because the less flexion there is, the greater the stretch reflex and the greater will be the concentric contraction during the driving phases, so keeping the hips high.
By changing gear six steps out, - that is maintaining stride length while increasing their cadence - the athlete keeps the hips high, finds it easier to control the lowering pole and has a greater ability to adjust their run up during this critical phase. For example even if they are 30 centimetres out at their mid mark, each of their next six steps need only be lengthened or shortened by 5 cm for them to be in a good take off position. It also means that they are already changing down and so can ensure the rapid increase in stride frequency in the last three steps, which is a characteristic of great vaulters. Finally we believe that changing gear six steps out encourages the vaulter to attack the take off. This is a critical instant in the vault and we position a coaches check mark at this point on the runway.
So the basic pattern of the run up is - speed is gradually increased as the athlete accelerates down the runway with an erect body position and with raking strides in the first phase; then as the pole is lowered to begin to prepare for the plant, the cadence is increased. Here is important to stress that although the cadence is increased the stride length is not shortened. What happens is that with an eighteen stride run up, the eleventh stride is no longer than the tenth, the twelfth no longer than the eleventh and so on. This is of course completely different from a sprinter whose stride length might continue to open out for sixty metres or more. The pole vaulter who must prepare for a powerful upspringing take off, cannot allow that to happen, so instead they maintain their stride length and increase leg speed to maintain their acceleration, Figure 24.12, next page. Petrov suggested that the increased stride rate (cadence) is caused by the effect of the falling pole and should therefore happen naturally. As he said in 1985:
…when increasing speed and the gradual lowering of the pole there appears an additional thrust that forces us to run more quickly with an increased stride rate.
Anyone who has ever carried heavy cases down a staircase will recall the sudden increase in leg speed if the cases are moved forward. It would seem that the same process occurs when the pole is lowered in preparation for the plant.
So during this final phase of the run up the Petrov vaulter exploits the torque forces of the dropping pole. As he said:
The speed of lowering the pole must be synchronised with the vaulter’s speed in run up. One may easily control that rhythm when the vaulter’s speed in running with the pole is within 10 m/sec or is about the speed of a body falling freely.
We believe that this increase in cadence not only ensures continued acceleration but also helps ensure the control and balance necessary for a good take off. However we believe that it is not automatic as Petrov implies, it must be taught! So we begin to teach it through repetitive 20/20 drills from the moment an athlete makes a serious commitment to the vault.
All of this leads us to employ a specific run up pattern based on the importance of the last six steps. A twelve step run up therefore has a SIX–SIX pattern, fourteen steps becomes EIGHT–SIX, sixteen steps becomes TEN–SIX and so on. However we recommend an 16 or 18 stride run up for potential elite men and and women.
The 18 step run up conveniently divides into six strides for the initial acceleration with the athlete driving powerfully from the first step, six steps to set up the controlled upright body position with the athlete running in front of themselves as they increase stride length and a final six strides in which that stride length is maintained while cadence is increased. In this way acceleration can continue right through to take off without the vaulter allowing their stride length to continue to open out – as a sprinter does.
This pattern is so important that we recommend the use of a six step marker for the coaches benefit as shown in Figures 24.13a-d, next page.
This marker can serve many purposes. Although this is primarily a check mark for coaches it also provides a good cue for a young vaulter to begin to lower the pole and change the cadence of their run up over the final six steps before take off. However it must be stressed that the athlete should never focus on this marker because it may distract them and impact negatively on their vault. They simply pick it up subconsciously several steps earlier in the run up, in the first of two steering phases.
Note that, except with absolute beginners, we do not use the counting lefts system common in the USA. This is simply because three of our most successful athletes have been left handers for whom this would be inappropriate. However as we indicated in chapter sixteen we do use it to help beginners build the structure of their run up. As vaulters improve they should stop counting their steps so that they can focus on the totality of the vault.
However we believe that as soon as young athletes become committed to the pole vault we should begin to introduce as many elements of the advanced technical model as they can cope with. So we encourage them to begin to master the high carry angle and the associated pole drop so that they can develop the specific rhythmic structure that is necessary for improved performance.
While good running technique and a sound run up structure are important, accuracy is obviously a critical factor in successful vaulting. One only has to consider the problems elite long and triple jumpers face in attempting to hit the take off board accurately and consistently to understand how difficult this task is. For the vaulter there are additional challenges. They must:
• Be able to accelerate to high speed while carrying and controlling a long pole.
• Reposition the pole from the carry and ready it for the plant and take off.
• Ensure that the pole tip hits the back of the box at exactly the right instant, to coincide with the take off four metres or more away.
To achieve this consistently the vaulter must deal with three factors
• The first is mechanical and the easiest to resolve. It only requires good repetitive practice to develop a structured and consistent run up which ensures that the vaulter always arrives close to the correct take off spot at optimum speed.
• The second factor is perceptual. Unlike the long jumper who has an obvious and clearly marked take off point, the vaulter’s take off point is an unmarked spot on the track, while the target for the pole tip is almost invisible until late in the run up. No matter how hard athletes work on stabilising their run up it will still vary slightly from one vault to the next.
This means that athletes need a steering capacity to enable them to make the minute adjustments necessary to ensure they hit the take off spot accurately.
This steering process begins approximately five to six steps out and is driven by the perceptual cues the athlete picks up as they approach take off. Some athletes seem to be genetically gifted with this ability while others are not.
An additional problem is that vaulters may pick up perceptual cues from the front wedges of the pole vault pad. When they move to a pad with a different structure or dimensions they have to reorient their perception and this can cause problems.
Our interest in this topic was sparked by a young Adelaide athlete, Keiran Modra, who although legally blind, jumped 4.45m/14’6” as a sixteen year old to win the Australian Schools Under 17 Schools Championship in 1985. Unfortunately the next day in the Under 19 event he missed the box completely so we had to withdraw him from the competition and then suggest that he give up pole vaulting. Sad though this was Keiran went on to represent Australia in three Para Olympic Games in track and field, swimming and cycling where he won gold medals.
• The third factor is the psychological state of the athlete – their level of arousal as they step on the runway.
When different climatic conditions, such as rain, head winds or cross winds, are added to an athlete’s variable arousal levels, the problem escalates yet again! It is clear that great attention must be given to the run up so that the vaulter can control as many variables as possible!
All of these factors can interact, as on Bubka’s winning jump at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. Lying in fourth place and with only one jump left at a new Olympic record height of 5.90m, Bubka suddenly realised that the wind had swung from head to tail for the first time that day. He began his run the instant he was called. Pumped up and with the gentle tail wind, he ran himself under at take off but still managed to recover the jump and take gold.
So the critical concept in the run up is to eliminate as many variables as possible because accuracy is based on consistency. Again we must heed Petrov’s dictum, The pole vault begins with the first step of the run up. Like most coaches we used to focus on the last few steps before take off, essentially the plant and take off phase. Only gradually did our focus shift further and further back until we really did begin to take notice of that first step. There we discovered a whole range of previously unnoticed problems. Athletes who skipped into the first step were varying by as much as thirty centimetres in this first movement. While we appreciate that some very successful athletes prefer a skip or short run into the first mark we believe that it is better to control as many variables as possible and begin the run up, as did Bubka, from a still position.
Since the greatest variations in the run up occur in the first phase, coaches will find the six step marker of great value. Not only does it act as a cue for young athletes to begin the rapid lowering of the pole and to change gear to a higher cadence, it provides an invaluable check mark for the coach.
Using a six step check mark makes it possible to determine whether any problems with the accuracy of the run up are being generated early in the run up or during the second phase. If the athlete consistently hits this mark on balance, running tall and with the pole under control as shown in Figures 23.1a-d, previous chapter, they have an excellent chance of an effective take off and therefore of a good vault.
Experienced athletes should be very consistent in their run up in the first phase but in competition there is always a chance that that extra surge in adrenaline or a tail wind will push them ahead of the mark while adverse winds may leave them behind it. In either case they have six steps in which to make the relatively minor adjustments necessary to hit their take off point accurately.
4. Treat the run up as an important TECHNICAL component of the vault.
There is a tendency to pay mere lip service to the run up. Too many athletes and their coaches make all the right noises about the importance of the run up - but they do not back that up with an actual commitment to improving it. Any study of pole vault web sites clearly indicates that most young vaulters believe that the real challenge of pole vaulting begins after the athlete leaves the ground. Coaches must change this mind set by insisting on the importance of developing an effective run up.
Once the decision is made on the number of steps to be used in the following season, ambitious young vaulters should practice that specific run up from that point on. We believe that the run up used by each vaulter has a unique structure and rhythm and so must be practiced throughout the training year.
This practice can follow a logical sequence of
• Practicing the run up on the track with no markers.
• Using a fixed starting point, run up and note both the provisional six step cue and take off points.
• Running up to plant into a towel – adjust the run to establish six step and take off point.
• Running up to plant into a towel – confirm check marks.
• Moving to the vault runway; check markers.
• As above, and take off; this is where the jump and hold drill is invaluable.
• Check run up speed with the Laveg system.
Any one of these practices may be repeated from six to eight times in a session. The critical thing is that the athlete works conscientiously on the run up one day a week throughout the year.
Running speed
While we have made it clear that our priority is to develop a consistent accurate approach run, there is little doubt that athletes should try to also improve their speed on the run way but especially their speed at take off. While the ability to run very fast has a large genetic component we believe that it can be improved – and again the speed at take off is the critical issue.
There are three aspects to this. In the first place, as we suggested above, sprinting is technical in nature. This means that sprinting technique can be improved through repetitive practice of the drills outlined above. Note that even the greatest sprinters in the world regularly return to running drills of this kind throughout their career.
Secondly since our concern is speed at take off, we must consider the impact of the planting action of the pole on speed over the last fifteen metres. As Nikonov’s work suggests, a less that perfect plant can lead to speed losses even with elite athletes; it is clear that young athletes, who often ignore the importance of this aspect of technique, may be subject to major deceleration as they try to position the pole for take off. This issue will be dealt with in greater detail in the next chapter.
Finally of course there is the possibility of training the body to run faster. This can take two directions. The first of course involves improving strength and flexibility through any of the vast range of exercises already available to coaches. The second is to use specific sprinting exercises to improve the neuromuscular coordination of the athlete when moving at high speed.
The exercise we have found to be of greatest value is commonly termed “Ins and Outs”, executed without a pole! The athlete accelerates into a marker, as they pass it they open up to absolutely maximum speed which they hold until they pass they next marker 30 metres away. Here they gradually decelerate as they move towards the next marker 40 metres away. As they pass that marker they accelerate to absolute top speed again and again hold it for 30 metres. As they pass the final marker they gradually slow down to a walk and begin a recovery stroll that may last over five minutes.
Developing an effective run up is an ongoing process so it must be practiced year round. This is because ambitious athletes will continually strive to improve both their physical parameters along with the other crucial elements of technique. In a sense the run up is always a work in progress. The ambitious vaulter must therefore commit to an ongoing process of improving
1. Sprinting technique.
2. The run up structure.
3. Consistency.
4. Accuracy
5. Speed.
They must repeat all of the above, year after year, to ensure continued progression.
Finally
It is virtually impossible for a coach to establish exactly how fast an athlete is running through the usual eyeballing process. While it is possible using a video camera and doing some nifty calculations, we believe that athletes who hope to move to the elite level must obtain accurate data about their run up, if only to identify whether their planting action is inefficient. This means that they really need access to either photo electric timing gates or to the Laveg system.
Figure 24.14 shows the results of an analysis done with the help of this system. It provides evidence of a structured effective run up where the athlete has continued to accelerate until the very last step into take off. What is very interesting is it shows the transfer effect of a large number of 20/20 training runs because it is clear that all of her last six steps are shorter than her tenth step.
This is important information because although we do want a cadence increase, for all of the reasons detailed above, it must not come at the cost of speed. Ideally she should aim to maintain the length of the tenth stride though the final six strides. By maintaining stride length and increasing stride frequency she would be able to further increase her approach speed without generating the inevitable problems caused by overstriding into take off. So we now have valuable information to improve her performance that could not have been easily obtained in any other way. Figures 24.15a-l illustrate the control and balance we are looking for even when the athlete is moving at high speed.
Figure 24.16 shows Mike Heynen on the runway in Adelaide. This photograph suggests that he has mastered the key elements of running with a pole.
Just wish I had known about dj's chart earlier - would love to have experimented with it!
I was going to move on - but I cannot let that pass because it is one of the most stupid and dangerous statements ever made on this forum - especially to an athlete - and I am presuming he is male -who has only cleared 13'6" as a junior in high school. I will bet any money that film of his vaults this year will show up numerous problems that need to be fixed before he worries about increasing his speed on the runway.
Because this issue is one I have pursued ever since Reno in 1997 Becca has given me permission to print the relevant chapter from BTB2. Sorry I couldnt include illustrations.
Chapter Twenty Four: The run up for ambitious young vaulters
“If the vaulter can put all his speed to the pole, the bending of the pole will happen in a very natural way and this, together with a good height of grip will ensure good results. Sergey Bubka.
The primary objective of any ambitious athlete who has begun to master the advanced technical model should be to try to exploit higher grips and to use the strongest possible poles. To do this safely and efficiently they must be able to first generate and then direct the energy required to drive the long lever towards the vertical. This requires a fast accurate run up, a precise planting action and a powerful upspringing take off. Unfortunately while many athletes pay lip service to the importance of the run up, they do not always commit the time and effort needed to perfect it. This not only inhibits their development but it may lead them into danger as their increasing physical parameters are not matched by improvements in their consistency and control of the runway.
Petrov’s ideas on the run up and plant are as rational as his approach to every other element of technique, and reflect the completely integrated nature of his technical model. His comment that the pole vault begins with the first step was not a simple throwaway line; it affirmed his view that the run up is the beginning of a continuous chain of energy input into the vaulter/pole system and that every aspect of the run up and the plant must be structured to ensure a powerful upspringing take off from precisely the right spot as shown in Figure 24.1.
This image of Bubka is arguably the most significant photograph ever taken of this challenging event. Not only does it capture a key instant in the first ever six metre clearance, it clearly shows that he has hit the pole with a solid body and that the hands are being driven up through the pole. The pole is clearly straight and therefore not loaded, a key element of the Petrov model. It is unfortunate that while these important elements are still neglected, or even rejected by many coaches, the myth that Bubka’s success was almost entirely due to his great speed on the runway continues to flourish.
What makes this myth so damaging is that it does contain a grain of truth! Bubka was a very good runner, both with and without the pole, but he will be the first to say that his success was due to the overall efficiency of his technical model and not simply because of his speed on the runway. While Tables 1 and 2, confirm that there is a moderate statistical correlation between run up speed and the height cleared across a wide performance band, our assessment is that NB the data suggests that run up speed is a necessary, but not a sufficient determinant of the height jumped. However we feel that a study restricted to elite performers would indicate a higher correlation because at that level, athletes would be both technically and physically better prepared to convert speed into height.
NB. So we believe that there will only be a high correlation between speed on the runway and the height jumped IF vaulters have already developed the technical ability to exploit their speed and when their bodies have been conditioned to cope with the shock of an explosive take off. The fact is that the faster you run while carrying a long lever, the more difficult it is to maintain control and balance, so danger lurks around the corner. Athletes are intuitively aware of this and unless they have a death wish they will often pull out of the take off at the last instant. Those with a death wish will continue on, and their out of control and off balanced take off, will feed a host of problems as the jump progresses.
The critical question is, ‘How much speed does any given athlete need to fulfill their potential’? As Bubka said in Jamaica, The important thing is how much of your speed and your strength you can use while actually jumping. Somebody can run the 100 metres in 11 seconds, but if he does the proper movements, in the exact moment, he can jump very high.
With this thought in mind, the data provided by Table 3 (Petrov), next page is of particular interest because it counters the popular notion that it requires blazing speed to be an elite vaulter. These data suggest that it would be possible for a male vaulter with 11.4 one hundred metre speed to make an Olympic men’s vault final, while someone who could manage 10.9 could break the American record! Of course the critical point here is that every aspect of their technique would have to be good enough to squeeze the maximum performance from their speed. As we will see in the following chapter, this means that they must certainly be able to continue to accelerate through the last five metres before take off.
So it is our view that unless the vaulter has already mastered the key elements of technique, especially the plant and take off, they will gain little benefit from increasing speed on the runway. Indeed there is little point in running any distance at all if the athlete is out of control, off balance and unable to take off in precisely the right spot and with a body which is solid from top hand to the toe of the take off foot! So what should ambitious young athletes focus on as they try to improve their approach run?
NB We believe that although vaulters should always work towards improving their speed at take off, their first priority should be to achieve consistency in the run up and precision in the plant. Both will bring enormous benefits, some obvious, but others which have rarely if ever been articulated.
A consistent, accurate approach run and a precise planting action allow the vaulter to;
• Attack the take off with confidence – a critical factor in this challenging and potentially dangerous event.
• Choose their pole stiffness, grip height and bar placement safe in the knowledge that they have controlled the most important variable - their take off point.
• Prepare for competition efficiently. They will need no more than two full approach jumps in warm up confirm that they are ready. This allows a vaulter to go into the competition with confidence and without the inevitable drain of physical and nervous energy resulting from repeated and often ineffectual efforts to take off.
• Select their opening height with certainty.
• Avoid wasting jumps throughout the competition as they struggle to find out where they should place the bar or what pole they should use.
• Pass certain heights, and so limit the total number of jumps they take.
• Cope with variable weather conditions - such as rain, head or cross winds with greater confidence.
• Possibly achieve a higher placing when a count back is involved.
• Finally, they will minimise the stress on their coach!
o Here it is important to understand that every maximal attempt in the pole vault places considerable demands on the athlete’s neuromuscular system. This can severely limit the number of high quality full jumps an athlete can take either in training or in competition. This means that ambitious athletes aiming for significant performances should carefully control the number of jumps they take as they move towards the crucial heights. Bubka was a master of this; at his peak his usual pattern was to make clearances at 5.70 and 5.90 then an attempt at a new world record – on occasions this meant that he took only three jumps in a competition!
o The best way to learn to jump high is to jump at high bars, so a consistent and accurate run up also allows the athlete to train more efficiently. If the number of full jumps an athlete can take in any one session is already limited by neuromuscular demands, then every failed attempt to take off is not only a waste of valuable energy, it is a wasted opportunity to improve.
o The integrated nature of the vault means that the second, third and fourth phases of energy input all depend on the first – the run and take off. This means that you cannot work to improve the timing of the swing into inversion efficiently unless you can take off consistently and effectively.
On the other hand any athlete who is unsure about the accuracy of their run up will tend to focus on the box; this will mean that they will often take off with their eyes and their head pointing down – not forward and up as they should - to the detriment of their take off. As Bubka said, Many jumpers look at the box, the box doesn’t move, it is always there. I think it has to do with being scared.
Our view is that they may look at the box, not because they are scared, but because they are not certain that they are in the right position to take off.
So an athlete with confidence in their run up will give themselves many more opportunities to improve other key elements of the vault. Some of these elements are quite subtle. For example we believe that at some point in the swing to inversion the athlete must operate intuitively – where “Intuition is the distilled essence of past experience”. Clearly athletes must make hundreds of jumps to build this intuitive ability – so they cannot afford to waste jumps in training simply because they have not developed a consistent approach run.
So how to develop an effective run up?
1. Learn to carry the pole efficiently.
2. Improve running technique with the pole.
3. Develop the structure and accuracy of the run up.
4. Treat the run up as a technical component of the vault.
5. Practice the run up and plant year round.
While some elements of the vault are difficult to master, it is possible for every athlete to develop a consistent, accurate run up and a precise planting action. In essence, every vaulter should be able to completely control every aspect of technique until the instant they leave the ground. All it requires is committed, intelligent practice!
1. Carrying the pole efficiently
Here you must remember the integrated nature of the Petrov model. While it is true that the relatively narrow grip used by Bubka was a key factor in ensuring his high plant and efficient swing into inversion, it brings its own problems. This is because it exacerbates the difficulty of dealing with the torque forces created by a long lever and the narrow grip makes it more difficult for the athlete to control the pole.
Potential solutions to this problem include
• Use a wide grip. However this can lead to an inefficient plant because a wide grip leads to a less than optimum pole/ground angle.
• Carry the pole with the bottom hand touching the body and with the top hand well behind the hip, Figure 24.2. While this relieves the torque problem to some extent, especially if the athlete is not gripping high, it can cause real problems during the plant. This is because the top hand has a long travel to get into the ideal position high above the head at the instant of take off. This method can often lead to a late and low plant.
• Run the pole tip along the ground. This solution was suggested as long ago as 1978 by a Hungarian coach working in Canada who anticipated that increasing grip heights would lead to the torque problem outlined above. He even designed special easy sliding pole tips made of Teflon to facilitate his method. To date few elite vaulters have chosen to use it, perhaps because, while this method eliminates torque forces it cannot exploit those forces.
Petrov’s solution is typically innovative. In the first place he believes that the width of an athlete’s grip on the pole, while essentially individual, must allow the athlete to maximise the pole/ground angle at take and, critically, allow them to complete a free take off as shown in Figure 24.1 above. We have found that the best way for any athlete to find the grip width that meets these criteria, is to follow the simple procedure described below.
The right handed athlete stands with their feet together, shoulders square and with the thumb of the right hand just touching the right shoulder. The tip of the pole is placed in a direct line with the left foot and the left hand is placed naturally and comfortably on the pole. This procedure caters for all but the most simian of pole vaulters. For a male vaulter 1.81cm/6’ tall this gives a grip width of around 65 cms., a figure that ties in with the evidence that elite male vaulters use a width of from 60 to70 cms. from the thumb of the left hand to the thumb of the right. That said, we tend towards the narrow end of the spectrum with developing athletes simply because we believe that a wider grip allows them to make fundamental errors in the take off.
As the illustrations throughout this book show, the actual manner in which the athlete grips the pole is also individual in nature, although as always, we prefer the approach used by Bubka himself. Some elite athletes relax either or both hands as they run in to take off, while others grip the pole tightly with either of both. The critical point is that as the athlete moves the pole into position for take off, they have a firm grip on the pole with both hands.
Once they have established an effective grip, the athlete must learn to carry the pole in a relaxed and efficient manner. To do this they should support the pole with the skeletal system, not the muscular system.
Figure 24.3 shows Maxim Tarasov supporting the pole in this way. He is using a high carry angle to minimise torque forces and so can accelerate to high speed while running tall with the pole under control and relaxed, with minimal movement in the system. Coaches should encourage athletes to think of using their arms as shock absorbers as they support the pole. Note that although some athletes set up at the beginning of their run up with the pole almost vertical, they lower the pole to approximately 70 degrees before they take their first step. As Petrov stated, At the start of the run up the pole and the vaulter merge into a single whole. A slight lowering of the pole forward at the start of the run up gives us a standard thrust and, correspondingly, produces standard steps.
Ambitious athletes must therefore ensure that they begin every vault perfectly positioned, with the pole supported by the skeletal system as demonstrated by 15 year old Jana Tancosic, Figure 24.4. The careful positioning of the left hand under the pole, and in line with the centre of the chest, is then maintained throughout the run up as Bubka demonstrates, Figure 24.5. This ensures that the pole is supported in a relaxed manner and that the left hand is perfectly placed under the pole throughout the run up. This positioning of the lower hand under the pole also means that the plant can be executed efficiently with a simple upwards punch of the lower arm. This is discussed in detail in the following chapter.
If the pole is supported with the right hand against the right hip and the left hand is positioned about 20cms from the centre of the chest it is clear that the tip of the pole will be a little to the left of the athlete. This position should not be exaggerated – it will happen naturally and puts the pole in a comfortable position. However it is important to avoid the very common mistake of carrying the pole outside the line of the body on the right side. This moves the pole away from the centre of mass of the body and destroys the single pole/body unit the vaulter should aim for. It also makes the planting action more complicated.
Of course, a strong athlete using a low grip on a light pole does not need to use a high carry angle or follow any of this advice. They can get away with both poor running technique and an inefficient pole carry. However if they have the ability and the ambition to compete at world level they must be prepared to grip high and use poles up to 20kgs/44lbs above their body weight. In this case a poor pole carry will certainly have a negative impact on their running posture and take off. Here it is worth restating the fact that many young Adelaide athletes used poles more than forty pounds over their body weight.
2. Improve your running technique with the pole
Another myth in pole vaulting is that it doesn’t matter how you run as long as you run fast! In fact a vaulter’s sprinting technique, both with and without a pole, is very important to success.
While running is a natural activity, sprinting is not! Good sprinting requires a series of accurate, balanced movements in which maximum power is applied against the ground in a very rapid sequence. It requires incredible coordination to produce the explosive but controlled movement sequences of arms and legs while at the same time stabilising the core muscles of the trunk and maintaining high levels of relaxation in the non working muscles. We believe that sprinting is as technical in nature as any aspect of track and field.
As complex as sprinting is, running fast while carrying a long pole introduces an extra dimension. Even when the pole is carried efficiently, the centre of mass of the vaulter/pole system moves forward compared to a sprinter. If vaulters are to maintain balance and control and stay tall as they accelerate to maximum speed, they need to execute the strike of the foot slightly further ahead of the centre of mass than the sprinter does. This leads the vaulter to adopt a slightly more upright posture and the more exaggerated knee/thigh drive which characterise the middle phase of Bubka’s run up. They are demonstrated in Figures 24.6a-k by a young South Australian athlete.
Readers who believe the notion of a vaulter running ‘in front of themselves’ is difficult to accept, will find John Gormley’s analysis of two strides in Bubka’s run up of interest, Figure 24.7.
Vaulters must therefore work hard to improve every aspect of their running technique, both with and without the pole, through the conscientious use of drills. In every drill – including those which exaggerate some aspect of running technique – the athlete must maintain a vertical position of the trunk and ‘run tall’. One of the simplest of and most valuable exercises is a classic Botcharnikov auto correcting drill where the athlete sets up as if to start their run up with the hands correctly positioned and the pole at the correct angle. They now set off to stride 120 metres under perfect control. Almost inevitably any problems with the pole carry, for example an athlete trying to control the pole using the muscles of the arms rather than the skeletal system, will appear before the end of the exercise. This experience, more than any other instruction or coaches’ feedback, will convince the athlete that they need to modify their pole carry.
Other drills include:
• Running with exaggerated high knees.
• Running with an emphasis on kicking the ‘butt’ with the heel.
• ‘Butt kick’ to high knee.
• Running with straight legs and with the toes up to ensure a claw strike as the flat foot hits the ground.
• High knees/ extension/ claw strike – The ‘Ostrich drill’.
• Putting it all together with ‘Butt kick/high knee/ extension/claw strike.
These drills should be executed over 30 - 50 metres with the body tall and balanced and with the pole under control. Initially the pole should be kept high but gradually the vaulter should practice controlled lowering of the pole. The speed and acceleration patterns can be varied but eventually vaulters should begin to move towards the total run as suggested below. Anyone looking for a range of sprint workouts would do well to get a copy of “Complete Book of Jumps” by Ed Jacoby and Bob Fraley.
Another Botcharnikov drill is one of the most valuable of all ‘running’ drills because it emphasises the complete extension of the driving leg, so important at take off. The athlete begins slowly with a gentle bounding action in which the free knee is punched up as the driving leg and ankle are extended completely behind the athlete. Once this completely extended position of the driving leg is achieved, the athlete gradually speeds up to turn the exercise into a series of powerful driving take offs.
Our favourite drill is the twenty/twenty drill in which the athlete tries to run twenty steps in twenty metres/sixty six feet at maximum speed. Many athletes find this drill surprisingly difficult and some do not master it in several sessions. This only confirms the fact that many athletes have never learned to control their stride length and that they usually overstride with a pole in their hands. Once the 20/20 has been mastered -and only then - it can be extended to 20 steps in 25 metres and 20 in 30.
Worthwhile improvement requires a balance between a technical emphasis and a speed emphasis; each drill must be taken seriously with the athlete focusing on correct execution from the beginning. There are three ways to assist the transfer of skill from drill to fast running.
• Always point out the relationship between the drills and sprinting with a pole. For example Figures 24.8a-c clearly show the relationship between the high knees, heel kicks and extension drills and the technique of the actual run up.
• Begin a drill slowly with complete concentration on the specific technical aspect to be developed. Gradually accelerate, continue thinking about the specific technical element to be practiced. As the rhythm is established the athlete must consciously relax particular parts of the body in turn.
• Or accelerate towards full speed running naturally and then focus on specific elements of good running technique.
Note that in Adelaide we were always limited by time, so we tended to focus on running with a pole and had to severely limit the range of drills our athletes did. This approach enabled them to work on good pole control while simultaneously improving their running technique. The illustrations of some of our young athletes in this chapter, including those of inexperienced 15 year olds like Jana Tankosic and Jamie Scroop shown in Figures 24.9a-i, next page, and 24.10a-h, next page, should confirm that this is not a difficult task.
We continually find ourselves returning to Petrov’s apparently facile statement, the pole vault begins with the first step. The second frame of Figure 24.9, shows the first step executed in a manner that could be a model for athletes of every level of performance.
Our experience is that many athletes are careless with that first step because after all, it is only the first step! This was brought home to us in no uncertain fashion when the great man came to Adelaide and immediately pointed out that one of our most talented young athletes spent the first part of her run up recovering from the problems caused by a low hip position and weak knee lift on the first step. To ensure that the athlete begins with an erect body, ensure that the right knee is brought up as if to touch the lower hand on the pole, on the first step of the run up.
3. Develop the structure and accuracy of the run up
The notion that the run up should have a specific structure has received little attention. However the logic is simple. If a vaulter runs freely, their stride length will continually increase – as a sprinter does out to 60 metres or more from the blocks. If every stride gets longer as the vaulter accelerates down the runway it is difficult for them to make the fine adjustments needed for an accurate and balanced take off. Even worse, if they are hit by a headwind a few strides out, they will be forced to take even longer strides to reach their take off spot. This may lead to loss of control and balance, cause the hips to drop and/or the athlete to run under or even to abort the take off.
The vault run up should therefore have three phases. As Figures 24.11a-k, show, they meld so subtly that, apart from the changing angle of the pole, only the informed observer will notice the difference. In the first phase the athlete must accelerate smoothly, under control with an upright body. In the second phase the hips are up and forward, the knee/thigh is punched up with the lower leg extended forward so that the foot can strike down and back fractionally ahead of the centre of mass as we suggested earlier.
In the third phase of the run up, when the pole begins to be lowered in preparation for the plant and take off, the problem changes. Now, whereas many vaulters bring the pole to the horizontal and run with it like this for several strides, our target technique is based around a moment free lowering of the pole over the last six steps where the pole only passes through the horizontal as it rotates about the fulcrum of the front - lower - hand.
It is during this phase that it is important for the vaulter to stay tall. The centre of mass must not be allowed to sink as the pressure from the pole increases. The power of the lower leg extensors becomes important because the less flexion there is, the greater the stretch reflex and the greater will be the concentric contraction during the driving phases, so keeping the hips high.
By changing gear six steps out, - that is maintaining stride length while increasing their cadence - the athlete keeps the hips high, finds it easier to control the lowering pole and has a greater ability to adjust their run up during this critical phase. For example even if they are 30 centimetres out at their mid mark, each of their next six steps need only be lengthened or shortened by 5 cm for them to be in a good take off position. It also means that they are already changing down and so can ensure the rapid increase in stride frequency in the last three steps, which is a characteristic of great vaulters. Finally we believe that changing gear six steps out encourages the vaulter to attack the take off. This is a critical instant in the vault and we position a coaches check mark at this point on the runway.
So the basic pattern of the run up is - speed is gradually increased as the athlete accelerates down the runway with an erect body position and with raking strides in the first phase; then as the pole is lowered to begin to prepare for the plant, the cadence is increased. Here is important to stress that although the cadence is increased the stride length is not shortened. What happens is that with an eighteen stride run up, the eleventh stride is no longer than the tenth, the twelfth no longer than the eleventh and so on. This is of course completely different from a sprinter whose stride length might continue to open out for sixty metres or more. The pole vaulter who must prepare for a powerful upspringing take off, cannot allow that to happen, so instead they maintain their stride length and increase leg speed to maintain their acceleration, Figure 24.12, next page. Petrov suggested that the increased stride rate (cadence) is caused by the effect of the falling pole and should therefore happen naturally. As he said in 1985:
…when increasing speed and the gradual lowering of the pole there appears an additional thrust that forces us to run more quickly with an increased stride rate.
Anyone who has ever carried heavy cases down a staircase will recall the sudden increase in leg speed if the cases are moved forward. It would seem that the same process occurs when the pole is lowered in preparation for the plant.
So during this final phase of the run up the Petrov vaulter exploits the torque forces of the dropping pole. As he said:
The speed of lowering the pole must be synchronised with the vaulter’s speed in run up. One may easily control that rhythm when the vaulter’s speed in running with the pole is within 10 m/sec or is about the speed of a body falling freely.
We believe that this increase in cadence not only ensures continued acceleration but also helps ensure the control and balance necessary for a good take off. However we believe that it is not automatic as Petrov implies, it must be taught! So we begin to teach it through repetitive 20/20 drills from the moment an athlete makes a serious commitment to the vault.
All of this leads us to employ a specific run up pattern based on the importance of the last six steps. A twelve step run up therefore has a SIX–SIX pattern, fourteen steps becomes EIGHT–SIX, sixteen steps becomes TEN–SIX and so on. However we recommend an 16 or 18 stride run up for potential elite men and and women.
The 18 step run up conveniently divides into six strides for the initial acceleration with the athlete driving powerfully from the first step, six steps to set up the controlled upright body position with the athlete running in front of themselves as they increase stride length and a final six strides in which that stride length is maintained while cadence is increased. In this way acceleration can continue right through to take off without the vaulter allowing their stride length to continue to open out – as a sprinter does.
This pattern is so important that we recommend the use of a six step marker for the coaches benefit as shown in Figures 24.13a-d, next page.
This marker can serve many purposes. Although this is primarily a check mark for coaches it also provides a good cue for a young vaulter to begin to lower the pole and change the cadence of their run up over the final six steps before take off. However it must be stressed that the athlete should never focus on this marker because it may distract them and impact negatively on their vault. They simply pick it up subconsciously several steps earlier in the run up, in the first of two steering phases.
Note that, except with absolute beginners, we do not use the counting lefts system common in the USA. This is simply because three of our most successful athletes have been left handers for whom this would be inappropriate. However as we indicated in chapter sixteen we do use it to help beginners build the structure of their run up. As vaulters improve they should stop counting their steps so that they can focus on the totality of the vault.
However we believe that as soon as young athletes become committed to the pole vault we should begin to introduce as many elements of the advanced technical model as they can cope with. So we encourage them to begin to master the high carry angle and the associated pole drop so that they can develop the specific rhythmic structure that is necessary for improved performance.
While good running technique and a sound run up structure are important, accuracy is obviously a critical factor in successful vaulting. One only has to consider the problems elite long and triple jumpers face in attempting to hit the take off board accurately and consistently to understand how difficult this task is. For the vaulter there are additional challenges. They must:
• Be able to accelerate to high speed while carrying and controlling a long pole.
• Reposition the pole from the carry and ready it for the plant and take off.
• Ensure that the pole tip hits the back of the box at exactly the right instant, to coincide with the take off four metres or more away.
To achieve this consistently the vaulter must deal with three factors
• The first is mechanical and the easiest to resolve. It only requires good repetitive practice to develop a structured and consistent run up which ensures that the vaulter always arrives close to the correct take off spot at optimum speed.
• The second factor is perceptual. Unlike the long jumper who has an obvious and clearly marked take off point, the vaulter’s take off point is an unmarked spot on the track, while the target for the pole tip is almost invisible until late in the run up. No matter how hard athletes work on stabilising their run up it will still vary slightly from one vault to the next.
This means that athletes need a steering capacity to enable them to make the minute adjustments necessary to ensure they hit the take off spot accurately.
This steering process begins approximately five to six steps out and is driven by the perceptual cues the athlete picks up as they approach take off. Some athletes seem to be genetically gifted with this ability while others are not.
An additional problem is that vaulters may pick up perceptual cues from the front wedges of the pole vault pad. When they move to a pad with a different structure or dimensions they have to reorient their perception and this can cause problems.
Our interest in this topic was sparked by a young Adelaide athlete, Keiran Modra, who although legally blind, jumped 4.45m/14’6” as a sixteen year old to win the Australian Schools Under 17 Schools Championship in 1985. Unfortunately the next day in the Under 19 event he missed the box completely so we had to withdraw him from the competition and then suggest that he give up pole vaulting. Sad though this was Keiran went on to represent Australia in three Para Olympic Games in track and field, swimming and cycling where he won gold medals.
• The third factor is the psychological state of the athlete – their level of arousal as they step on the runway.
When different climatic conditions, such as rain, head winds or cross winds, are added to an athlete’s variable arousal levels, the problem escalates yet again! It is clear that great attention must be given to the run up so that the vaulter can control as many variables as possible!
All of these factors can interact, as on Bubka’s winning jump at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. Lying in fourth place and with only one jump left at a new Olympic record height of 5.90m, Bubka suddenly realised that the wind had swung from head to tail for the first time that day. He began his run the instant he was called. Pumped up and with the gentle tail wind, he ran himself under at take off but still managed to recover the jump and take gold.
So the critical concept in the run up is to eliminate as many variables as possible because accuracy is based on consistency. Again we must heed Petrov’s dictum, The pole vault begins with the first step of the run up. Like most coaches we used to focus on the last few steps before take off, essentially the plant and take off phase. Only gradually did our focus shift further and further back until we really did begin to take notice of that first step. There we discovered a whole range of previously unnoticed problems. Athletes who skipped into the first step were varying by as much as thirty centimetres in this first movement. While we appreciate that some very successful athletes prefer a skip or short run into the first mark we believe that it is better to control as many variables as possible and begin the run up, as did Bubka, from a still position.
Since the greatest variations in the run up occur in the first phase, coaches will find the six step marker of great value. Not only does it act as a cue for young athletes to begin the rapid lowering of the pole and to change gear to a higher cadence, it provides an invaluable check mark for the coach.
Using a six step check mark makes it possible to determine whether any problems with the accuracy of the run up are being generated early in the run up or during the second phase. If the athlete consistently hits this mark on balance, running tall and with the pole under control as shown in Figures 23.1a-d, previous chapter, they have an excellent chance of an effective take off and therefore of a good vault.
Experienced athletes should be very consistent in their run up in the first phase but in competition there is always a chance that that extra surge in adrenaline or a tail wind will push them ahead of the mark while adverse winds may leave them behind it. In either case they have six steps in which to make the relatively minor adjustments necessary to hit their take off point accurately.
4. Treat the run up as an important TECHNICAL component of the vault.
There is a tendency to pay mere lip service to the run up. Too many athletes and their coaches make all the right noises about the importance of the run up - but they do not back that up with an actual commitment to improving it. Any study of pole vault web sites clearly indicates that most young vaulters believe that the real challenge of pole vaulting begins after the athlete leaves the ground. Coaches must change this mind set by insisting on the importance of developing an effective run up.
Once the decision is made on the number of steps to be used in the following season, ambitious young vaulters should practice that specific run up from that point on. We believe that the run up used by each vaulter has a unique structure and rhythm and so must be practiced throughout the training year.
This practice can follow a logical sequence of
• Practicing the run up on the track with no markers.
• Using a fixed starting point, run up and note both the provisional six step cue and take off points.
• Running up to plant into a towel – adjust the run to establish six step and take off point.
• Running up to plant into a towel – confirm check marks.
• Moving to the vault runway; check markers.
• As above, and take off; this is where the jump and hold drill is invaluable.
• Check run up speed with the Laveg system.
Any one of these practices may be repeated from six to eight times in a session. The critical thing is that the athlete works conscientiously on the run up one day a week throughout the year.
Running speed
While we have made it clear that our priority is to develop a consistent accurate approach run, there is little doubt that athletes should try to also improve their speed on the run way but especially their speed at take off. While the ability to run very fast has a large genetic component we believe that it can be improved – and again the speed at take off is the critical issue.
There are three aspects to this. In the first place, as we suggested above, sprinting is technical in nature. This means that sprinting technique can be improved through repetitive practice of the drills outlined above. Note that even the greatest sprinters in the world regularly return to running drills of this kind throughout their career.
Secondly since our concern is speed at take off, we must consider the impact of the planting action of the pole on speed over the last fifteen metres. As Nikonov’s work suggests, a less that perfect plant can lead to speed losses even with elite athletes; it is clear that young athletes, who often ignore the importance of this aspect of technique, may be subject to major deceleration as they try to position the pole for take off. This issue will be dealt with in greater detail in the next chapter.
Finally of course there is the possibility of training the body to run faster. This can take two directions. The first of course involves improving strength and flexibility through any of the vast range of exercises already available to coaches. The second is to use specific sprinting exercises to improve the neuromuscular coordination of the athlete when moving at high speed.
The exercise we have found to be of greatest value is commonly termed “Ins and Outs”, executed without a pole! The athlete accelerates into a marker, as they pass it they open up to absolutely maximum speed which they hold until they pass they next marker 30 metres away. Here they gradually decelerate as they move towards the next marker 40 metres away. As they pass that marker they accelerate to absolute top speed again and again hold it for 30 metres. As they pass the final marker they gradually slow down to a walk and begin a recovery stroll that may last over five minutes.
Developing an effective run up is an ongoing process so it must be practiced year round. This is because ambitious athletes will continually strive to improve both their physical parameters along with the other crucial elements of technique. In a sense the run up is always a work in progress. The ambitious vaulter must therefore commit to an ongoing process of improving
1. Sprinting technique.
2. The run up structure.
3. Consistency.
4. Accuracy
5. Speed.
They must repeat all of the above, year after year, to ensure continued progression.
Finally
It is virtually impossible for a coach to establish exactly how fast an athlete is running through the usual eyeballing process. While it is possible using a video camera and doing some nifty calculations, we believe that athletes who hope to move to the elite level must obtain accurate data about their run up, if only to identify whether their planting action is inefficient. This means that they really need access to either photo electric timing gates or to the Laveg system.
Figure 24.14 shows the results of an analysis done with the help of this system. It provides evidence of a structured effective run up where the athlete has continued to accelerate until the very last step into take off. What is very interesting is it shows the transfer effect of a large number of 20/20 training runs because it is clear that all of her last six steps are shorter than her tenth step.
This is important information because although we do want a cadence increase, for all of the reasons detailed above, it must not come at the cost of speed. Ideally she should aim to maintain the length of the tenth stride though the final six strides. By maintaining stride length and increasing stride frequency she would be able to further increase her approach speed without generating the inevitable problems caused by overstriding into take off. So we now have valuable information to improve her performance that could not have been easily obtained in any other way. Figures 24.15a-l illustrate the control and balance we are looking for even when the athlete is moving at high speed.
Figure 24.16 shows Mike Heynen on the runway in Adelaide. This photograph suggests that he has mastered the key elements of running with a pole.
Just wish I had known about dj's chart earlier - would love to have experimented with it!
Its what you learn after you know it all that counts. John Wooden
Re: speed
good morning,
quick note and i will get back with what i think should take place to improve the approach run specific to him...
a 98 foot start with a 43 "MID"/ six step check (covering 55 feet in the first 8 steps makes me think you are over striding in the acceleration phase...
several reason I say this… one a world class hurdler covers approximately 40 feet from his front foot in the block to takeoff to the first hurdle for 8 steps… Bolt took approximately 43 feet for the first 8 steps from his front foot in the block for his 9.58 world record..
I'll post my other thoughts , the "numbers" for a approach run to try, on the track to help you run better and faster…
Important note her is this………. In the 70's a controlled study was done in Russia (Europe?) with three groups of university athletes… comparing training methods for gaining runway speed in the pole vault..
The results were this… three groups.. one group no speed training at all… second group speed training without carrying the pole and third group speed training 50/50 with and without the pole.. one of those training exercises was specific 20 stride approach runs on the track……. Of the two groups that did speed had the greatest improvement in speed …. the athletes that did "speed"/approach training while carrying the pole had the greatest speed improvement while running carrying the pole.
I published this article in a Pole vault newsletter I was doing at the time, early 80's, call 19+PLUS..
Later
dj
quick note and i will get back with what i think should take place to improve the approach run specific to him...
a 98 foot start with a 43 "MID"/ six step check (covering 55 feet in the first 8 steps makes me think you are over striding in the acceleration phase...
several reason I say this… one a world class hurdler covers approximately 40 feet from his front foot in the block to takeoff to the first hurdle for 8 steps… Bolt took approximately 43 feet for the first 8 steps from his front foot in the block for his 9.58 world record..
I'll post my other thoughts , the "numbers" for a approach run to try, on the track to help you run better and faster…
Important note her is this………. In the 70's a controlled study was done in Russia (Europe?) with three groups of university athletes… comparing training methods for gaining runway speed in the pole vault..
The results were this… three groups.. one group no speed training at all… second group speed training without carrying the pole and third group speed training 50/50 with and without the pole.. one of those training exercises was specific 20 stride approach runs on the track……. Of the two groups that did speed had the greatest improvement in speed …. the athletes that did "speed"/approach training while carrying the pole had the greatest speed improvement while running carrying the pole.
I published this article in a Pole vault newsletter I was doing at the time, early 80's, call 19+PLUS..
Later
dj
Re: speed
ff8
I have had several 13-6/14 foot vaulter, men and women (not bragging just using a reference) that had a 43/44 "MID"... from 12 steps (6 lefts) 14 steps (7 lefts) and 16 steps (8 lefts) all of them generally had the best run of any vaulter in the meet.....
67/68 feet was a "normal" 12 step (6 left run)
79/80 a normal 14 step (7 left)
91 to 94 a normal 16 step (8 left run)
Normal if you are accelerating properly and not over-striding (galloping)
First check and see how many steps you are taking for the 98' run.......
.........................................
Try this set-up on the track.... measure from the towel left to right as if it were the box....
Towel...........TO..........R..........L..........R..........L..........R..........L...runback 4 lefts from here....X
X........10'......L.....5'6"..x....5'6"..x....5'6"..x....5'6"..x....5'6"..x....5'6"..L...runback 4 lefts from here....X
10 feet from the box back to the takeoff and then 5'6" between cones....
In the lane next to that one mark the same box with a towel... measure back 10'4" and then 6 cones 5'8" apart and run back either 4 lefts or 6 lefts if you chose...
Practice these... with the pole... see how the first one works... if you feel like they are too close try a couple of more times to "get the feet down".. if you are "chooping too much move over to the next lane....
dj
I have had several 13-6/14 foot vaulter, men and women (not bragging just using a reference) that had a 43/44 "MID"... from 12 steps (6 lefts) 14 steps (7 lefts) and 16 steps (8 lefts) all of them generally had the best run of any vaulter in the meet.....
67/68 feet was a "normal" 12 step (6 left run)
79/80 a normal 14 step (7 left)
91 to 94 a normal 16 step (8 left run)
Normal if you are accelerating properly and not over-striding (galloping)
First check and see how many steps you are taking for the 98' run.......
.........................................
Try this set-up on the track.... measure from the towel left to right as if it were the box....
Towel...........TO..........R..........L..........R..........L..........R..........L...runback 4 lefts from here....X
X........10'......L.....5'6"..x....5'6"..x....5'6"..x....5'6"..x....5'6"..x....5'6"..L...runback 4 lefts from here....X
10 feet from the box back to the takeoff and then 5'6" between cones....
In the lane next to that one mark the same box with a towel... measure back 10'4" and then 6 cones 5'8" apart and run back either 4 lefts or 6 lefts if you chose...
Practice these... with the pole... see how the first one works... if you feel like they are too close try a couple of more times to "get the feet down".. if you are "chooping too much move over to the next lane....
dj
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vquestpvc
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Re: speed
There is no communicating with arrogance. Ironically and coincidentally, I had just read chapter 24 of BTB a couple days earlier and finished confident with what I had believed previously. Thank you for the review; still confident. And perhaps the word "exceptional" is over emphasizing the achievement (solid is perhaps a better word), but I stand by the statement that 13'-13'6" is a very good achievement for a high school boy. Of all the HS boys vaulting throughout the nation, the percent of those vaulting over 13' is small and those vaulting such are above average. One of the things that needs to be remembered is that most HS seasons are limited to 3 months. Hey, if someone has had numerous vaulters over 13'6" (including girls) then this individual isn't working with an "average" group of athletes and is certainly vaulting year round. What's the national HS girl's record?
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altius
- PV Rock Star
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Re: speed
I apologise for the 'stupid' but reiterate the 'dangerous'! Clearly you missed all of the debate about this issue on pvp several years ago when the prevailing view in the US was that Bubka's success was due to his physical qualities - especially his speed. One of the aims of btb was to resolve this issue - C24 was the result and the data provided by Petrov was central to the argument. The following sentence there sums up my position on the matter.
"We believe that although vaulters should always work towards improving their speed at take off, HIGHLIGHTED - their first priority should be to achieve consistency in the run up and precision in the plant. Both will bring enormous benefits, some obvious, but others which have rarely if ever been articulated."
The fact is that a girl jumping 13'6 is doing many things well and is virtually certain to have an accurate and consistent run up. Athletic boys can do almost everything wrong and still jump that high. In the early days in Adelaide I had a good sprinter/thrower who decided to do the decathlon in our nationals; after a few sessions in the vault he could clear a height in relative safety. In that meet using a 15' pole - he cleared 4.oom/13' 2, feet first in a sitting position over the bar to land face down on the pad -after that experience he decided to concentrate on the javelin.
By 15' boys are doing many things well but in my experience it is not until they are jumping 5.00m that the fundamental problems have been resolved. In fact as with the Lovells on the front cover of btb they rely on their technique more than physical qualities.
"We believe that although vaulters should always work towards improving their speed at take off, HIGHLIGHTED - their first priority should be to achieve consistency in the run up and precision in the plant. Both will bring enormous benefits, some obvious, but others which have rarely if ever been articulated."
The fact is that a girl jumping 13'6 is doing many things well and is virtually certain to have an accurate and consistent run up. Athletic boys can do almost everything wrong and still jump that high. In the early days in Adelaide I had a good sprinter/thrower who decided to do the decathlon in our nationals; after a few sessions in the vault he could clear a height in relative safety. In that meet using a 15' pole - he cleared 4.oom/13' 2, feet first in a sitting position over the bar to land face down on the pad -after that experience he decided to concentrate on the javelin.
By 15' boys are doing many things well but in my experience it is not until they are jumping 5.00m that the fundamental problems have been resolved. In fact as with the Lovells on the front cover of btb they rely on their technique more than physical qualities.
Its what you learn after you know it all that counts. John Wooden
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vquestpvc
- PV Whiz
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- Favorite Vaulter: Stacy Dragilia
Re: speed
Finally a meeting of the minds....................."rely on their technique more than physical qualities". That applies to all who vault. But I don't believe it's a good idea to discourage anyone from trying to achieve his or her goals. Sometimes it's easier to write than read. It's not enough to have a great day, make it a great day!
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VaultPurple
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Re: speed
Ive seen 5m vaulters with worse technique than 4.15m vaulters. In the end the guy with the fastest runway speed wins 9 times out of 10.
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altius
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Re: speed
VaultPurple wrote:Ive seen 5m vaulters with worse technique than 4.15m vaulters. In the end the guy with the fastest runway speed wins 9 times out of 10.
Waddever as my old friend Baggett would say. I suppose we should just be thankful that the Jamaicans haven't taken the vault seriously - yet!!!
Its what you learn after you know it all that counts. John Wooden
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VaultPurple
- PV Lover
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Re: speed
altius wrote: Waddever as my old friend Baggett would say. I suppose we should just be thankful that the Jamaicans haven't taken the vault seriously - yet!!!
Re: speed
hey
Beginning to the End
I think we have finally found the beginning to the end of why and how the run "should" be set up and why the six step mark is an integral part of not only "checking" but training the correct run…
Thanks Alan for the post…
I will take a few "exerts" re-post and comment more on how I have continued to use it for all this time…
I think we have covered many times over "why" use it (6) as a reference, although I feel less than 10% of the coaches and athletes have accepted or "get it"… even those that use a coaches check/"MID" still have a majority using 4… unfortunately it isn't the same and as "functional"…
The key is to train/practice the phases' just as you pointed them out…
The structure is where i have taken the "parts"...........
#1-pole carry-
#2-first step-
#3-acceleration too the "MID"/6 step-
#4-frequency, pole drop and posture over the last 6
#5-plant transition over the last 3 steps...
……….and created drills and training of the parts… starting with #1 then adding #2, then adding #3 on and on
if we want the best run possible we need to do these "steps" (whole-part-whole method of teaching) no different or les time as we take to break the plant into parts, the swing into parts….
RUN_PLANT_SWING… it's done
Those are done and monitored always with a 6 stride check mark "MID"…
Later
dj
Beginning to the End
I think we have finally found the beginning to the end of why and how the run "should" be set up and why the six step mark is an integral part of not only "checking" but training the correct run…
Thanks Alan for the post…
I will take a few "exerts" re-post and comment more on how I have continued to use it for all this time…
I think we have covered many times over "why" use it (6) as a reference, although I feel less than 10% of the coaches and athletes have accepted or "get it"… even those that use a coaches check/"MID" still have a majority using 4… unfortunately it isn't the same and as "functional"…
The key is to train/practice the phases' just as you pointed them out…
In a sense the run up is always a work in progress. The ambitious vaulter must therefore commit to an ongoing process of improving...
1. Sprinting technique.
2. The run up structure.
3. Consistency.
4. Accuracy
5. Speed.
The structure is where i have taken the "parts"...........
#1-pole carry-
#2-first step-
#3-acceleration too the "MID"/6 step-
#4-frequency, pole drop and posture over the last 6
#5-plant transition over the last 3 steps...
……….and created drills and training of the parts… starting with #1 then adding #2, then adding #3 on and on
if we want the best run possible we need to do these "steps" (whole-part-whole method of teaching) no different or les time as we take to break the plant into parts, the swing into parts….
RUN_PLANT_SWING… it's done
Those are done and monitored always with a 6 stride check mark "MID"…
Later
dj
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